A Helping Hand
by stylish-kid-in-the-riot
Summary: Sam is kidnapped and tortured, and left attached to a chair. Dean and Bobby come to his rescue and help him recover from the injuries that he's been forced to inflict on himself. Written for a prompt at the OhSam Comment Fic Meme, full prompt inside.


**A/N 1:** This was written in response to the prompt below for Leavitunspoken

**A/N 2: **I can't be concise or to the point at all, I have to ramble and give details... this is the result

**A/N 3: **This is the first thing I've written in a while with the exception of Summergen, so I'm kinda nervous but here goes... It's also unbeta'd and any mistakes are entirely mine to own...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the boys in any way... no matter how much I wish for it, it never happens...

**Prompt:** _Basically, very not good guys took Sammy-babes, and they were really mean to him, and tied to him to a chair, but instead of rope, they plunged sharp pointy knives in his hands to keep him sitting tight. Then Dean to the rescue, of course, but oh dear, he had to pull the knives out of Sam's hands before they could make a run for it. And Sam had ripped his hands to shreds already trying to get free but never quite managed it. I woke up before I could dream about Winchester hand rehab and Dean brushing Sam's teeth for him every day and washing his hair for him and helping him out with pretty much everything, just short of wiping his ass for him. But if that's your thing *cough cough* then please, go for the full nine. Don't mind me._

* * *

Sam wakes up with a start as the door to the room he's been held in for the last few days is kicked in, the wounds that have been inflicted on him awake with a renewed intensity as he jumps. His hands hurt the worst though, having pulled on the knives that they put in them to keep him anchored to the chair. As his eyes drift over them and he takes in the sight of his hands, the blood pooled there and the cuts that he's practically inflicted on himself, he feels the bile rise in his throat and he fights to keep it down, he knows that he'll choke if he lets it come up. He moves his fingers out of instinct during his internal fight and feels the blades scraping against the muscle _'fuck_. His attention is drawn to the door as Dean walks through it cautiously, gun raised and looking for danger. Sam tries to call to his brother but it comes out as nothing more than a strangled whisper of "D'n" and his head drops again.

Dean realizes that there's no danger in the room on his second sweep of the room, it's just Sam, who he's not let himself look at properly yet because he knows he'll lose it when he does. He puts the safety back on the gun and puts it in his back pocket, he's not concerned with the so called hunters who done this to his brother anymore. Dean cried out "Oh Sammy" as he runs across the room and comes to a halt in front of Sam. He crouches down and reaches out to touch Sams arm but he sees his brother tense up and pulls his hand back before Sam does anymore damage to himself. Sam looks up at Dean, the tears pooling in his eyes start to find a way out and he looks away again. Dean reaches under his chin, gently pulling Sams face to look at him "Sam, you have nothing to be ashamed of, hell I'd be worries if you weren't crying." Sam nods and at that moment Dean inwardly kicks himself as he realizes he's not even removed the gag from his brother. "Just gonna take this off dude" he tells Sam as he reaches round and works the knot on the gag loose. He grabs it and throws the offending item to the other side of the room. He comes round to look at Sam "Okay, I'm gonna have to work at getting you free Sammy." Sam just nods and looks down, Dean grimaces as he adds "It's probably gonna hurt."

Sam just nods, unable to process much more than _'free'_ and _'hurt'_, but he needs to be out of this chair. "I... I just want out..." he tries to tell Dean that he wants to get out of here, but his mouth is too dry and his throat hurts from screaming too much. Dean understands and says "I know dude, hang tight".

It's at that moment that Bobby announces his presence by uttering a shocked "Jeez..." as he walks into the room and stops, neither brother is sure how long he's been standing in the doorway. Dean turns to look at him, communicating _'I need you to help me get him free, and we need to do it quickly'_ in a single look. Bobby can see that Sam is also looking at him with a look that says _'help'_. He springs into action and walks across to the brothers, asking "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Um ... you work on that hand and I'll work on this one?" Dean half instructs and half asks. Bobby nods in reply and Dean takes a deep breath as Sams head bows forward once again. "We pull them out at the same time?" he asks indicating the knives pinning his brothers hands to the chair.

"Probably the best way" Bobby replies as he looks Sam up and down, he can see how exhausted the boy is, and how he's trying to keep control on his panic as he and Dean move their hands to the knives and grip the handles.

"On three?" Dean asks and Bobby nods. Dean looks to Sam and asks "You ready Sammy?" Sam slightly nods and Dean adds and "I'm sorry".

Sam utters a quiet "Just get me out" and his head falls forward again.

Dean and Bobby look to each other and nod, Dean takes a deep breath and slowly releases it "One..." Sam tenses slightly as Dean and Bobby tighten their grip on the handles. "Two..." The three of them steel themselves as the pause feels like forever before Dean says "Three."

As they pull the first of the knives out, Sams world explodes into white hot pain and his screams echo through the small damp room and his own ears as his world fades to black.

* * *

He wakes up to a rumbling sound that lulls him into a feeling of safety. He knows he's half sitting, half lying and he feels himself being embraced. It takes a while for the pain to sink in this time and when it does he can't focus on any part of his body that hurts the most, it all hurts and that feeling that this is all his world is going to be until he dies starts to creep in again. _'Dean'_he remembers Dean being there with him and he hopes he wasn't hallucinating his brother rescuing him again. "D'n" he forces out and he doesn't recognize his own voice.

The body he's sitting against stiffens and he feels a rumble in the chest as he's asked "Sammy?" It takes him a few seconds to realize it's Dean who's holding him.

"Uh..." he utters, unable to manage to say anything else, to ask the questions that he needs to ask.

"It's okay Sammy it's over." Dean tells him. Dean always knew what Sam needed to hear.

"I..." he tries again as he forces his eyes to open so that he can see Dean, to take in the sight of his brother and to make sure that this is real.

"How long?" Dean asks and Sam briefly wonders what Dean is asking him before he hears another voice reply "About ten, maybe twenty minutes." _'Bobby'_his mind supplies. Dean looks down and smiles at him as he says "We'll be at the hospital soon and they'll fix you up."

Sam wonders if Dean is trying to reassure him or himself, and he nods in reply as his eyes close again and the sounds of the car drift away.

* * *

The wait in the surgical waiting room is becoming agonizing for Dean and Bobby, both pacing the length of the room at different intervals. Sam has been in surgery for going on six hours while the doctors work to repair the damage that had been inflicted upon him. The waiting time has so far been broken up by police interviews and nurses popping in to give them regular updates on the progress of the surgery. They had told the police that Sam had gone missing, that he'd gone for a walk from the motel because he couldn't sleep and he hadn't been there in the morning, that they searched for two whole days before eventually tracking the GPS on Sams phone and they found him lying on the floor beaten half to death. It wasn't too far from the truth, they just left out the part where they'd tracked the hunters who had taken Sam and had been stupid enough to have boasted about it, and that they'd both filled Sams captors with bullets before freeing Sam.

They are both sitting, Deans knee bobbing up and down nervously, when Dr Kelly, the doctor who had treated Sam when he came to the ER walks into the room. "Well what's the news doc?" Dean impatiently asks as he all but runs across the room to stand in front of the doctor.

The doctor smiles a nervous greeting at both Dean and Bobby and holds his hands out to indicate the seats as he asks "I know how anxious you guys must be, so why don't we take a seat and I can start to fill out both in?". All three sit in unison as the doctor takes a breath and begins "Now as you know from when you found Sam he had extensive wounds, bruising and burns..."

Dean cuts the doctor off by saying "Yeah we know all that, can we just cut to the chase here?"

"Dean!" Bobby quietly warns as the doctor smiles, admiring the bond this guy has with his nephew.

"It's okay, I understand that you're both worried..." taking a deep breath and looking at Dean the doctor continues "...now as I was saying, some of the wounds and burns had developed infections which we've managed to clean out now and repair the damage. We also worked on Sams hands for a considerable time, not only were there the stab wounds, but there was also a lot of damage to the muscle and nerve tissue due to the pulling of the knives in his hands..."

"Jesus Christ..." Dean whispers as he buries his head in his hands.

Putting his hand on Deans back Bobby grimaces as he asks the doctor "So whats the chances of Sam making a half decent recovery?"

"Well we managed to repair a significant amount of the damage, and he should regain more or less ninety to one hundred percent motor function in both hands... it will be a long hard road, but if Sam puts the effort in then I'm confident he'll make a good recovery."

"Thanks. Really, thank you for what you've done" Dean replies.

"Not a problem, it's my job. Sam should be settled in his room now if you'd like to come see him?" he asks, knowing that it's stupid question which is always met with the same answer from worried relatives.

Dean and Bobby literally spring out of from their seats and at the same time they say "Yes please doc" even matching each others concerned tones.

As they walk to Sams room, Dr Kelly informs them that Sam will probably be asleep until the morning and that they've taken him off of the ventilator. He's now hooked up to oxygen and that he'll also be getting regular treatments of morphine for at least a few days.

Dean walks into room with Bobby behind him and they both move to opposite sides of the bed. Dean sighs as he takes in the sight of his brother and the tears began to gather again. Sam is pale, which only makes the bruising on his face stand out even more. His arms are dotted with bandages and dressings, and his hands are encased in bandages. Moving his hand out to touch Sam, Dean stops, unsure of where he could touch his brother that won't hurt him, in the end he settles for resting his hand beside Sams arm. Looking over to Bobby, Dean sighs again and sakes his head _'how will he get over this one?_

Bobby picks up on the question and answers "He'll get through this Dean, don't worry. And even if he starts to fail, we'll pull him through."

"Yeah..." Dean sighs.

... ... ...

They sit in silence for half an hour before Bobby says "Okay, they said we could stay for little while and Sam won't wake up till morning, why don't we head back to the motel and get cleaned up, something to eat and come back?"

Tearing his eyes from Sams face Dean look to Bobby and answers "Nah you go, I'm waiting here till he wakes up"

"Dean..." Bobby tried but he's cut off before he can even begin.

"...No I'm waiting here, just let them try and make me leave. I'm not going anywhere till he wakes up."

"Okay, well you know where I am if anything changes" Bobby says and turns to leave.

"Hey, uh, Bobby?" Bobby turns round to face Dean. "Thanks for the last few days, I don't know how I'd have done it without you."

"You'd have found a way, you always do. Just don't tear the nurses or doctors a new one if they try to move you idjit" Bobby said affectionately as he turned and left Dean alone with his brother.

Dean turns and looks at his brother, thinking _'Oh Sammy'_for what feels like the thousandth time since he found his brother attached to that goddamn chair. He knows they can't stay here for long after Sam wakes up and the doctors assess the damage, technically they are still fugitives...

* * *

The first thing that breaks through is a steady beeping noise, he tries to block it out but it keeps breaking through, pulling him into consciousness. There's a dull ache running through his body, he tries to move and the dull ache jumps up to a sharp pain and he groans. The pain slowly dies down and he hears someone to his side call his name, the urgency in the voice has him opening his eyes. He's greeted by a blurry figure hovering over him that he knows is Dean. He tries to lick his lips, his mouth is too dry and a glass with a straw magically appears in front of him he takes a few sips and feels it sliding all the way down to his stomach. He's thinking it's all just a hallucination and that he's still in that room stuck to the chair. "D-Dean?" he hopes Dean understands what he's trying to ask because it hurt too much to even get that one word out.

"Yeah Sammy I'm right here. Try not to talk to much, you've messed your throat up pretty bad by screaming so much". He sees the questioning in Sams gaze and he replies "You're safe now, don't worry about it I got you out." Sam looks down at his body and back up to Dean _'What about the injuries?'_ he's asking. Dean thinks _'Fuck'_but answers "The doctor said you should make a full recovery if you work at it, they repaired most of the damage and treated all your wounds."

Sam nods and he can feel himself being pulled back into a sleep again, he's fighting to stay awake when Dean tells him "If you need to sleep again then sleep dude, I'll be here when you wake up." Sam slightly nods and looks at Dean as he gives up the fight to stay awake, taking in the sight of his brother in case this was just a hallucination.

It's a week later when Dean decides to broach the subject of leaving the hospital with his brother. Sam has been doing better, the bandages that encased his hands have been replaces by smaller wrappings which cover the dressings and his fingers have been left uncovered. He still can't do anything for himself or move on his own though, he's even commented a few times that he never realized how much he took his hands for granted or how much he needed them. He's been showing signs of restlessness due to not being so groggy anymore and being unable to do anything. Bobby has warned him against having this conversation too soon with Sam, and he's offered countless times to put them both on his medical insurance, but Dean refused every time, reminding Bobby that pretty soon Sam would end up in a cell if they didn't ditch the hospital soon. "Uh... Sammy?"

Sam turns to look at Dean, his stomach summersaulting at the tone of dread in Deans voice _'what's he not telling me?_Sam asks himself. It's not the first time he's wondered if Dean has told him the whole truth about his recovery or if he's been sugar coating it. "Yeah?"

"Um... I think it's about time we think on leaving here" Dean forces out.

"Dean, I can't do anything for myself..." Sam sullenly replies, holding his bandaged hands up despite the pain it causes.

"I know that dude, Bobby and I will be there to help you though"

"I mean I can't do anything ... at all..." Sam trails off as the reality of what he's saying hits him.

"I know that Sam, and I hate to push you before your feel like you're ready, but we really need to leave, we can't risk the cops finding us, especially since they've interviewed us and know our faces now... Trust me I'll help you through this."

Sam knows deep down that Dean is right, they can't risk the police finding out who they really are, and he definitely doesn't want to risk going to prison while he doesn't have the use of his hands, not to mention with all his other wounds... "Okay ... yeah, we can get the AMA forms and we can leave."

"Okay. I hate forcing you into this but I don't want the cops to find us." Dean tells Sam, he feels like a total ass for more or less forcing Sam to leave the hospital before he's ready, but he knows it's for the best that they leave soon.

"No, I know that Dean and I don't want to go prison like this." Sam looks down at himself and lifts his hand to move it up and down to point out his body.

"Alright, I'll go see the nurse and see about getting out of here" Dean says as he walks out of Sams room.

* * *

They brought Sam back to the motel one week ago, and while it wasn't easy at first, they've gotten into some sort of routine. After losing the battle to persuade his patient to stay, Dr Kelly had given Sam prescriptions for painkillers, dressings and anti anxiety tablets. He'd also said that Sam should be taken for physical therapy, and sensing that the neither brother had any intention of going anywhere near another hospital he discreetly gave Dean detailed instructions on how to manipulate Sams hands and what Sam should do himself if he was going to work towards a full recovery. Bobby had offered to help with Sams care, but Dean had refused the offer, saying quietly that this was something he needed to do for Sam. Bobby said his goodbyes to the brothers, leaving them with a not so subtle threat of "come to my house as soon as Sam is ready to travel or else".

Dean and Sam are sitting at the table, and Dean is cutting up Sams chicken steak. On the first few days after they got back to the motel Sam had insisted on only having smoothies, when Dean had questioned this a few times Sam eventually admitted that he didn't want Dean to have to feed him on top of everything else he was going to have do. The next few days Dean had fed Sam in between taking bites of his own meal, but Sams been telling Dean he wants to try eating by himself today. As if on cue Sam says "Hey Dean? I want to try eating this one on my own." Dean looks up at him doubtfully before returning his focus to the chicken. "If you cut it up then I can try ... if it gets too sore I'll tell you."

"You sure you'll manage?" Dean asks. Yesterday and today Sam has been able to move his fingers a little without screaming in pain, and while he'd love to give his brother the luxury of feeding himself, he doesn't want him to do any damage to himself.

"I think I should if I can get it in between my fingers..."

"Okay, well leave it to cool a bit and then try." Dean suggests and Sam nods. Returning to cutting up Sams meal, he asks "So when do you want to head out to Bobbys?"

"Uh ... maybe another few days? My ribs are still pretty sore and I don't know if I could handle sitting in a car for any length of time right now..." Sam says quietly.

"Yeah thats fine with me, we can stay here as long as you need to." Deciding to change the subject Dean says "I think the chicken might be cool enough now if you want to try it?"

In the end Sam manages to feed himself three pieces of chicken before he drops the fourth piece to the floor and cries out in pain. "Sorry... I-I..." he trails off as he holds his hand close to his chest, the sharp burning pain coursing through his hand subsiding slightly until it becomes that familiar dull ache that he's become accustomed to.

"Hey it's okay Sammy don't worry ... you still managed three pieces, and if I'm honest that's more than I thought you'd manage." Dean tries to reassure Sam, who sighs and shakes his head. "It'll be okay, I know it sucks but you'll get through this, you just need to be patient."

Sam whips his head up to look at Dean "Patient? Dean I've been patient, I'm through with being patient. I only wanted to feed myself and even thats a goddamn step too far."

"I know..."

"...You know? You don't know the half of it Dean, you don't know how it felt to tear your own hands to shreds trying to get free, you don't know how it felt to tear knives through your own damn hands while you're electrocuted... How it feels to not even be able to push yourself up in bed or wipe your own fucking ass after going to the toilet so don't ... don't sit there and tell me you know." Sam regrets his words the instant that they come tumbling from his mouth, but once he's started he can't seem to stop them. He also can't stop or wipe the tears that start flowing down his face to accompany his words.

"You think I don't know how you feel?" Dean asks and Sam opens his mouth to interrupt, but Dean continues "I might not know how it feels to go through that, but don't think for a minute that I don't know or notice the effect it's having on you... I'm trying here Sam, but I can't help if you don't talk to me."

"I'm sorry Dean, I know you're trying to help and I don't know how I'd do this without your help, it's just so damn annoying being unable to do anything."

"I know, but you'll get there, we'll start working on moving your fingers a little tomorrow, how's that sound?"

Sam smiles and replies "That'd be great, thanks."

"Not a problem dude, now how about we eat this food before it gets cold?" Sam huffs a laugh and nods, opening his mouth as Dean lifts a piece of chicken for him, and they eat the rest of the meal in companionable silence...

**End**

* * *

**A/N - **I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, whether good bad or indifferent...


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